FRS Healthy Energy Products
Energy is a vital, a precious resource. We need it to function and enjoy life. Many search for ways to get a little more energy into their lives. On that quest we turn to products claiming to boost energy levels. FRS Healthy Energy is an energy-enhancing product that claims to boost and sustain energy in a healthy way.
On your journey, remember Mother Nature provides us with the best sources of everything we need for energy, sleep, and overall well being. These can be found in “products” that come directly from the earth. Direct from the source is always best.
FRS Product Details
FRS Healthy Energy products claim to be Free Radical Scavengers that Fight Fatigue, Raise Mental Clarity, and Support immune system function. Catchy, but does it work?
Originally formulated as a health drink, FRS was discovered by athletes who used it to boost and sustain peak performance levels, utilizing quercetin as the key ingredient. Quercetin enhances energy by protecting natural adrenaline levels in the body. FRS naturally enhances the energy you already have; it doesn’t force the body to produce more adrenaline or at least that’s the claim. The product is endorsed by world-class athlete, Lance Armstrong, his charity, Live Strong, gets a donation for each sale.
FRS gives you energy for everything from daily tasks to running that marathon. FRS claims to help natural energy levels stay elevated for longer periods of time.
Quercetin, the main ingredient claimed to boost and sustain energy, is an antioxidant (also known as flavonoid) found naturally in the skins of apples, blueberries, onions, also in teas, capers, fennel seed, peppers, and red wines. Quercetin is the most active of flavonoids and has anti-inflammatory properties, too.
According to FRS, they use only the highest quality quercetin and combine it with a special mix of vitamins and metabolic enhancers, enabling full absorption by the body.
The new and improved FRS (improved from the original health drink) was refined by Dr. Lan Bo Chen, a Professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School who formerly worked at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Dr. Mitsunori Ono, President of MO Management, a scientific consultancy.
FRS Healthy Product Options
FRS offers a two-week “free” trial of their product. I put “free” in quotes since you must pay $7 for shipping. FRS comes in 4 forms: soft chews, liquid concentrate, powder, and ready to drink cans. Flavors available are lemon lime, orange, wild berry, peach-mango, and pomegranate-blueberry. Not all product options come in all flavors. The ready to drink cans come in low-cal (25 calories) options of peach-mango, wild berry, and orange; soft chews (40 calories) offer lemon-lime, orange, and pomegranate-blueberry; powder mix (10 calories) has diet wild berry, diet orange and diet lemon-lime; and the concentrate (20 calories) comes in orange, low-cal orange and low-cal peach-mango.
When you order a free trial, you receive a pack of 30 soft chews, one 11.5 ounce bottle of the ready to drink product, 14 packets of the low-cal powder, and one 10 ounce bottle of the low-cal concentrate.
Putting it to the Test: Real Life Product Trial
When I decided to review this product, I wanted to give it a real life trial myself. After all, if it does what it claims and is good for you, I want it! So in my quest for more energy and better “life” performance, I ordered the free trial.
The ordering process was easy to do online and I received my package within 5 days. It arrived in a sturdy box that contained just what it promised. Looking over the product I immediately noticed a few items; caffeine, sucralose, and food dyes are all ingredients in each product.
To many this is irrelevant, but when you’re looking for “healthy energy” do artificial sweeteners, stimulants, and potentially dangerous food dyes have a place? Right away I started to wonder if the quercetin claims where too good to be true.
I don’t do artificial sweeteners, caffeine for energy (okay except my cherished one cup of coffee in the morning), or food dyes. I try to take the time to know what I’m putting into my body and make sure it’s really all natural. This product clearly isn’t all natural, but for the sake of the review I tried it anyhow.
I started with my pack of pomegranate-blueberry soft chews. My first reaction was “ewwww really sweet” and then came the chemical bite that made my toes curl. It’s not a super intense chemical taste, but it’s there. I’ve read comments from other users who noticed this “bite” and thought it was the pomegranate. I think it’s the sucralose. Speaking of sucralose, the main ingredient in the chews is sugar followed by corn syrup–why the sucralose too?
Sucralose is an artificial sweetener commercially marketed as Splenda or SucraPlus. It’s FDA approved and there are currently no known side effects. Isn’t that what they said about NutraSweet for years?
I didn’t like the taste, but what about the benefits? Well, I didn’t really notice any, which is good and bad. I wasn’t overwhelmed with a high boost of energy only to crash down later, but I didn’t feel energized or different in any way. FRS claims that with regular use the product will work as it fights free radical damage that ultimately zaps our energy supplies. I continued to try the soft chews, continued to dislike the taste, and didn’t notice any energy level changes.
I also tried my ready to drink can of low-cal peach mango beverage. Not bad tasting, mango is the overriding flavor, not as chemically laden as the chews, but it still has that chemical taste to it. It’s just not for me, doesn’t make me feel healthy to load my body with chemicals, dyes, and caffeine.
The amount of caffeine found in FRS ranges (depending on products) from 10 mg for one chew (recommended dosage is two chews) to 48 mg in the ready to drink option (that’s about 1/2 cup of coffee’s worth of caffeine).
Both the chews and the powder contain food dyes (red #40, yellow #6, and blue # 2). Red dye #40 and yellow dye #6 have been linked to behavioral problems in children (ADD-like symptoms), as well as other physical problems when ingested. Needless to say, I’m not a fan of any of these food dyes.
Before You Invest A Few Cautions
Aside from the obvious concerns I just mentioned about the caffeine, food dyes, and sucralose, there are few other points worth mentioning.
First, the trial package comes with a handy recommended dosage chart. The “three step system” suggests you take the product in the morning, next before your daily workout (I guess mid-morning if you don’t work out or are on an “off” day), and then again in the afternoon. Remember, you’re putting caffeine in your system each time. Caffeine to raise energy levels just isn’t “healthy energy,” at least not in my book.
If the claim that it’s the quercetin boosting energy, then why not just get it naturally in apples, blueberries, and onions either directly or in whole food supplements?
Quercetin Supplements are available at health food stores in the same high quality as in FRS but for much less money. I’d prefer to go straight to the source rather than mix my antioxidants with caffeine, dyes, and artificial sweeteners.
Finally, if you do decide to order the free trial package, beware. Many consumers have expressed being “scammed” with this trial. The offer clearly states (if you read it thoroughly, that is) if you don’t cancel within the first 14 days after receiving your package, you will automatically be charged the $64.95 for the next month’s automatic shipment.
I’ve read a number of consumers complaining of this practice, although it is stated in the offer. There are a lot of complaints about poor customer service when they tried to send their unwanted shipments back.
I didn’t call to cancel my trial in time so I was also sent the package. When I called to cancel it, I was treated well, with prompt, efficient service. They offered me 35% off the total cost to keep it; when I said no, the deal went to 50% off. I still declined but had to pay the $15 shipping costs to return the product. I found customer service friendly and helpful.
This product didn’t live up to its claims in my opinion. Of course, I’m not a pro athlete or marathon runner like Lance; I’m just an ordinary girl looking for a little more energy without harming my body in the long run!
To learn more about > FRS Healthy Energy – Free Trial*
